Continued from here ...

From Guatemala, the US Assistant Secretary of Consular Affairs has been talking to reporters, saying that, "improvements need to be made before the U.S. ratifies the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions later this year." And a ... more

This article, titled, "Vietnamese Adoptees: Where Are They Now?" is just what it sounds like: a look at adults who were born in Vietnam, then adopted by US families. With more than 7,000 Vietnamese kids adopted in the thirty years between 1971 and 2001, there are many stories to be told, and the report takes a look at a few from the transracial angle. Although it's fairly negative on adoption in the past, it does give a bit of credit to present-day aparents... more

I have no way of knowing how people come to my blog -- by bookmark, direct link or from the "what's new" portal of adoptionblogs.com. This site has expanded a lot recently with the addition of bloggers and new categories. There's so much info there now that I'm having a tough time keeping up, and just keeping track of where my own posts ... both here and on the Older Parent Blog ... sit in relation to other new posts... more

Over on the adoptee blog, Jupe has issued a challenge I encourage all to read, think about, then either choose to accept or ignore at the peril of the planet. Starting from Jonathan Swift (You may recall me writing about his "Modest Proposal" a while back that suggested," ... that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted,... more

I thought to look today for fitting material for blogging ... something festive, but meaningful; heartfelt, but light.

Christmas Eve is special in my history, and the occasion deserves a special story.

Ask, and receive! (How lucky am I?) I've been side-swiped this morning by a story that has bells ringing a number of different tunes.

First, it comes from my oldest son's second home town, Baker City, Oregon ... a tiny... more

Here's a terrific resource for parents of transracially adopted kids:

Ask the Experts! Send us your question about transracial or transcultural adoption or foster care, and one of our experts on transracial adoption will give you an answer. All questions and answers will be posted to this website, without using your name.

Michelle Johnson, MSW is an African-American adult adoptee raised by white parents. Her Masters' thesis at the University... more

Talk about stepping up in a way that really helps ... stepping up, pulling out a boob, and giving from the deepest parts of yourself ... the International Breast Milk Project sent another 23 gallons of the breast milk of human kindness to the iThemba Lethu Orphanage. In oh-so-appropriate timing, it arrived at the Durban, South Africa facility on Thanksgiving Day.

The Project was started by ... Jill Youse, who discovered she was overproducing breast milk after... more

It was a rough weekend.

Although I did manage to fit a couple of hours of beach time in, most of both Saturday and Sunday were taken up with work, work, work. Now it's Monday, and I'm a dry well. Because I haven't the capacity to form more than a couple of sentences, and no creative juice at all, today's post is going to be a list of links I use a lot. Some are fun, some are for work, some are like Mt. Everest (there).

This one is... more

Many of us with internationally adopted kids, especially internationally adopted kids of color and especially boys, live with the fear of how others' perceptions of our children will impact their lives. Many issues of transracial adoption are discussed on various blogs here and in media elsewhere in the adoption community, and one discussion that comes up often is the common idea that children from other countries commit crimes when they get to be of a certain age.

Although it's hard to consider, our children may be considered immigrants... more

Growers in Guatemala would like it with a little more profit, please. Hoping for an 'environment-friendly' seal of approval, fifteen farmers in the Chanmanqua coffee cooperative producing high-grade beans in the mountains near the Honduran border have worked harder, and opened their farms and their books to heavy scrutiny. For their efforts, they've been certified by the Rainforest Alliance in... more